Rockspinner 6 Unveiling and Artist Reception

Sonoma, CAUSASaturday, May 28, 2011

a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite at Cornerstone Sonoma is pleased to announce the unveiling of renowned sculptor Zachary Coffin’s Rockspinner 6 on Saturday, May 28 from 3-5pm. An interview with the artist by gallery owner Brigitte Micmacker and reception will follow the ceremony.

Zachary Coffin’s interactive Rockspinner series of multi-ton granite boulders that can be spun by a small child connects the viewer with quintessential nature and provokes questions about the fundamentals of momentum and gravity.

To create each piece, Coffin locates the precise center of gravity of a magnificent boulder that has been quarried near his home in Atlanta, Georgia. Using cranes and industrial tools, the boulder is drilled, inset with a low-friction bearing, and installed atop a minimalist stainless steel shaft. The resulting ten-foot sculpture can be set into motion by the push of a hand, and continues its silent, smooth rotation for a surprising length of time thanks to an ultra-lightweight lubricant on the bearing.

“Everyone has experienced a well-built machine that seems able to function effortlessly, and a poorly made one that either works badly or breaks immediately, “ says Coffin. “Though it looks raw and simple, the only reason it works is because I have found the precise center of balance of the stone, the bearing is precisely level and my bearings and shafts are both accurately concentric and able to resist deflection from the load. If these criteria are not met, the sculpture simply becomes what one would expect: a large, immovable rock.”

Rockspinner 6 is the latest addition to SculptureWALK, a changing exhibit of over 60 large-scale sculptures located throughout the nine-acre gardens at Cornerstone Sonoma. Rockspinner 6 was included in the 2008 exhibition Sculpture in Motion at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, curated by Brigitte Micmacker, the owner of a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite and is for sale.

Coffin is also installing his spectacular, 70’ tall Colossus at Maker Faire Bay Area on May 21 and 22. Colossus is an interactive sculpture that was built for Burning Man in 2005 and consists of 40,000 pounds of moveable stone on a massive steel armature.

a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite is Northern California’s only gallery dedicated entirely to modern and contemporary fine art sculpture, representing over fifty mid-career to internationally renowned artists. The gallery is located at Cornerstone Sonoma, just minutes from the Sonoma Plaza and 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, at the gateway to the Sonoma and Napa wine countries.

SculptureWALK is the gallery’s latest creation: a sculpture garden showcasing over sixty monumental, kinetic, and water sculptures throughout the Cornerstone Sonoma garden complex. Curator-led tours are available by appointment.